40 Years Young: VW Golf Stands the Test of Time

By Bill McLauchlan

You don’t need me to tell you the older one gets the faster the years seem to speed by, none more so than wondering where your 40s went as you round the bend into that sobering fifth decade and beyond.

Thinking along those lines, it came as a bit of a shock the other day to realize VW’s Golf has just joined us on that drive into early middle age. A week ago today, on March 29, 1974, to be precise, the first of more than 30 million subsequent Golfs emerged from its German plant, on its way to becoming the most successful European car of all time.

Photo: Newspress
Original VW Golf Mk I (left) and 7th-Gen Mk VII (right)

European is the key word there, though, on this side of the pond. That’s because the original European Golf Mk 1, sold under the Rabbit nameplate in Canada and the U.S., didn’t make it here until the 1975 model year. So, just like Jack Benny, our Golf is still only 39.

That caveat aside, today’s sensibly mature Golf has always been a pioneer of technological prowess.

Whether turbocharged engine, direct-injection engine, electric or plug-in hybrid drive system; whether ABS, ESC, XDS or 4MOTION; whether Adaptive Cruise Control, City Emergency Braking, trailer stabilization or Automatic Post-Collision Braking System; whether automatic climate control, Dynaudio sound system, touchscreen with proximity sensor or LED headlights; whether GTI, GTD or GTE – it was always the Golf through which the most important small car technologies and trends of our time were democratized.

Golf Mk 1: The first series production Golf rolled off its Wolfsburg  assembly line on that historic March day in ’74. Where for decades the ubiquitous Beetle, with its rear engine and rear-wheel drive, had dominated the scene, a new era had now dawned: that of the transverse (or cross) mounted engine and front-wheel drive.

As the successor to the legendary Beetle, of which over 21.5 million were built, the Golf Mk 1 had to live up to enormous expectations that it would carry on the success story of what until then was the world’s most successful car. It worked: the modern and reliable drive concept, excellent use of internal space and ultimately the design as well, won over the market to such an extent that by October 1976 the one-millionth Gold had been produced.

’76 also saw the debut of the iconic sporty GTI model and by 1979 Volkswagen had also introduced an open-top Golf Cabriolet that was at times the best-selling cabrio in the world.

Photo: Newspress

Golf Mk II: As of 1983, improved interior room meant occupants no longer sat quite so close to each other. The catalytic converter appeared a year later and in ’86 anti-lock brakes (ABS) and power steering were introduced to the Golf’s market segment. Over here, the Rabbit was renamed Golf with the arrival of the 1985 model.

Photo: Newspress

Golf Mk III: With the launch of the third generation in 1991 a new era of safety began. This Golf was the first of the series to have front airbags (starting in 1992) while major advances in body construction also resulted in improved crash safety. Other technical milestones included: the first six-cylinder engine (VR6), cruise control, a direct-injection diesel engine (TDI in ’93) and ABS as a standard feature on all models by 1996).

Photo: Newspress

Golf Mk IV: New styling crystallized the clear, precise design that lived up to the car’s history while setting a course for the future. On the safety front, electronic stability control (ESC) and four-wheel drive (the Golf 4MOTION) arrived in 1998. A year later ESC became a standard feature, initially in Germany.

Photo: Newspress

Golf Mk V: This Golf that boasted levels of comfort and dynamic performance that left many competitors way behind in 2003. Side airbags were made available for the first time. An improved rear suspension design, seven-speed DSG transmission, bi-xenon headlights, panoramic sliding sun roof and combined turbo-supercharged engine (in the 2006 TSI) were introduced, as was the economical and fuel-efficient Golf BlueMotion in 2007.

Photo: Newspress

Golf Mk VI: In just four years, a further 2.85 million units had been built by mid-2012, based on the sixth-gen Golf launched in 2008. A transition from unit injection to the common rail system diesel engine brought better performance and lower fuel consumption too. And new aids such as Light Assist automatic main beam management and Park Assist made this the most advanced Golf generation to date.

Golf Mk VII: Debuted in September 2012 with a significant weight reduction, hence 23 percent better fuel economy, and an entire armada of new assistance systems – some as options and others standard. And this year the all-electric e-Golf came along. And, later in 2014, a new Golf GTE plug-in hybrid is due to arrive. Last summer, the 30 millionth Golf was built.

Some additional trivia for you. Not only was 1974 the year the Golf was born, it was also the year some Chinese farmers digging a well for water unearthed the Terracotta army. Other 1974 inventions that have stood the test of time include the Rubik’s Cube, Post-It notes and liposuction.